The Employed Millennial

It feels so good to finally say that I am no longer an unemployed millennial. It took a tremendous amount of patience and faith, but I made it through a rough couple of months. I had over 10 interviews (four with just one company) in the first few weeks of 2016, each one preparing me for the next. I even drove out of state for an interview, didn’t get the job, but it was worth the experience. It all came down to three, a Waffle House HR position, a position with a company called Analyst Inc., and a Research Analyst position with a company called CI Radar.

I really thought I wanted the waffle house position. I’d always heard good things about the company, and I could see myself retiring with them. After 2 long months and 4 interviews, I received the most generic rejection email letter stating that they would keep my information on file for other positions… bullshit! Just throw my file away!

Analyst Inc… I interviewed with them once and was offered the job. As soon as I did my paperwork and drug test for the position, I received an email from CI Radar saying they would like to do a phone interview with me. I previously applied to CI Radar and had a phone interview with them about a year ago and it didn’t go any further than that, so Iet’s just say I wasn’t too optimistic, but I thought I’d give it another shot. I thought I bombed the phone interview, so I was glad that I already had a job just in case things didn’t work out. I was completely shocked to learn that I made it to the next round of interviews. I was so excited! Cue the doom music – dum dum dummm…

Problem – My first in-person interview was slated for my second day on the new job with Analyst Inc. I only had 2 choices – lie or tell the truth, either way I could lose the job. I decided to tell the truth. It wasn’t easy; actually it made everything awkward as hell. But my manager at Analyst Inc. surprisingly understood my dilemma and allowed me to work and go to not 1, but 2 interviews with CI Radar. Two weeks had past and I was offered a salaried position with CI Radar. I was about to have a major anxiety attack, but I mustered up the courage to let my manager know about the offer; the look on her face broke my heart. I really liked my position with Analyst Inc., but I’d wanted the job with CI Radar for over a year, and the pay and incentives were too good for me to turn down. I had to go.

Four weeks into my new job, I’m extremely happy with my decision. Of course everything is all good and new during the first few weeks of training, but I look forward to being challenged in the position. It’s a millennial friendly position, with work-from-home days, a decent salary, all the coffee, tea, and snacks you can drink and eat, and you can have your headphones in all day (Lemonade on repeat). One of the best things about my job is that there are no phones to be answered, no more call centers for me! It’s an actual beginning to a career! It took a few years, but I’m genuinely happy with my job; it was worth the wait and struggle.